Frame doghouse construction



s. c. LEONARD FRAME DQGHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Aug. 12, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 14, 1967 .D mR A N E Wm L C W W D E HIS ATTORNEY '1 Aug. 12, 1969 5 c, LEONARD 3,460,515

FRAME DOGHOUSE CONSTRUCTION med Feb, 14, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EDWIN C. LEONARD HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,460,516 FRAME DOGHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Edwin C. Leonard, Richmond, Va. Richard P. Matthews, Rm. 1111, Warner Bldg., 13th and E Sts. NW.,

Washington, D.C. 20004) Filed Feb. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 616,018 Int. Cl. A01k 1/02 U.S. Cl. 119--19 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An A-frame construction for a doghouse having inwardly sloping legs and sidewalls with the latter meeting at a peak or apex. Stringer members run longitudinally along each side of the doghouse between front and rear legs thereof. The stringer members present a surface norrnal to the sloping sidewalls whereby a curving floor member may be attached between the stringer members to present a concave upward floor surface. A ridge cap member is secured to the exterior sidewalls of the apex of the doghouse and a pair of triangular nailing members beneath the ridge cap member permit fastening of the sidewall members at the apex and for its rigidity to the structure.

This invention pertains to a doghouse construction, more particularly to doghouses having an A-frame construction.

In the past, most doghouse construction has tended to be of rectangular frame construction with perhaps a sloping roof aflixed to the vertical wall members. While other dog houses have been substantially triangular in shape, they have employed flat floors resulting in a relatively inefiicient living space within the doghouse when measured against the amount of materials utilized.

The principal feature of novelty of the present invention is the use of an arcing or curving floor-member having its lowest point midway between its sides and being anchored at elevated edge extremities. This curving or arcing, and the manner of securing the floor member in place, produces a suspension effect which provides support of a greater weight than can be attained in the conventional flat floor except by use of a stronger, more costly flooring material, or by use of additional supporting members and more costly construction materials.

An additional advantage of the curved floor design is to increase the head room, or distance from the central section of the floor to the roof or ceiling of the structure without increasing the height dimension of the sidewalls or roof slant, thereby resulting in an economical use of materials.

Another advantage of the curved floor design is that it provides additional comfort by virtue of the depression effect similar to the depression which would result naturally from the body of the animal lying on a soft, yielding mattress-like surface or similar to the depression which the animal will make for himself by trampling in grasses or digging in earth.

Still another advantage of the curved floor design is the inclination or tendency of bedding materials, which may be placed on the floor for comfort or sanitation, to remain in the central part of the floor by virtue of the depression of this portion of the floor.

Other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the detailed specification which follows and to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a doghouse made in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the doghouse of FIGURE 1 with parts broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing the attachment of a ridge cap to the sidewalls; 7

FIGURE 5 is a perspective explosion view of the doghouse of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a sub-assembly of parts used to make the doghouse of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing a modified version of the bottom wall.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a doghouse, indicated generally at 10 having sloping sidewalls 12 and 14, and a curved bottom wall 16. A relatively low front wall 18 permits the dog to gain access to the doghouse without difficulty. The front wall 18 is substantially trapezoidal in shape and is attached to short legs or feet 20 in a suitable manner such as by nails or screws (not shown )1. A rear wall 22 is substantially triangular in shape and is secured at its base to a pair of short legs or feet 20 having the identical shape as the front legs.

Referring to FIGURES 2, 3, and 5, there are illustrated triangular nailing plugs 26, 28 which are secured beneath the apex of the doghouse by suitable nails or screws (not shown). The substantially triangular rear wall 22 is suitably attached to the rear triangular nailing plug 28 either by nails or screws (not shown) or by providing a slot in the nailing plug 28 to receive the apex of the triangular rear wall 22 with the base of the rear wall 22 being suitably secured to the rear legs 20.

A pair of wooden stringers 30, 32 run longitudinally of the doghouse 10 between the short legs or feet 20 and beneath the sloping sidewalls 12, 14. The curved bottom wall 16 is suitably attached to the top of each of the stringers 30, 32 such as by nails 34.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, a ridge cap, indicated generally at 24, is shown to be substantially M-sh-aped in cross section and it consists of long legs 36 and relatively short legs 38 with a weakening groove 40 to permit flexing of the ridge cap at its central location so as to conform to the sloping sidewalls 12, 14 and permit the sub-assembly to be made as illustrated in FIGURE 6.

It will be observed that the rear wall 22 is notched at 42 and the curved bottom wall 16 is notched at 44 to accommodate the short rear legs or feet 20.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 7 wherein the stringer members 30A are provided with a bottom parallel to the ground so as to permit a straight bottom wall 16A to be used attached to the bottom of stringer 30A by means of nailing at 34A.

The preferred form of the invention comprises the use of the curved bottom wall 16 which permits the use of a relatively thin material such as Masonite for the bottom wall and provides not only improved strength but also a more efficient use of the space within the doghouse. As has already been noted the curved bottom wall is also conducive to the contour of the underside of the dog and also serves to center any carpeting material or the like which may be used within the doghouse. The sloping sidewalls 12, 14, front wall 18 and rear wall 22 are preferably made from plywood. However, more expensive materials, such as marine mahogany, may be used for these members if a deluxe doghouse is desired.

It will be appreciated that a single nailing plug such as 28 may be used in constructing the doghouse 10*, but it is preferred to utilize both front and rear nailing plugs in order to obtain greater stability.

What is claimed is:

1. An A-frame doghouse comprising inwardly sloping front and rear pairs of legs, a pair of sidewalls secured to respective front and rear legs and sloping inwardly to meet at an apex of said doghouse, means securing said walls at said apex, a substantially triangular rear wall secured to the rear legs of said doghouse, a front Wall member secured to said front legs, a stringer member running along each side of said doghouse between opposite pairs of front and rear legs, and a flexible floor member biased into a curved position, said floor member being maintained in said curved position by being attached to said stringer members and thereby presenting a concave upward surface.

2. An A-frame doghouse as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means securing said walls at said apex includes a ridge cap member secured exteriorly to each side wall at the apex of said doghouse.

3. An A-frame doghouse as claimed in claim 2, including at least one triangularly shaped nailing plug to which said sidewalls may be attached beneath said ridge cap member at the apex of said doghouse.

4. An A-frame doghouse as claimed in claim 2, including front and rear triangularly shaped nailing plugs to which said sidewalls may be attached beneath said ridge cap member at the apex of said doghouse.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,151,671 8/1915 Donaldson 119-19 2,008,637 7/1935 Burrus et al. 119-16 3,129,693 4/1964 DeVore 11916 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,503 6/ 1914 Great Britain.

HUGH R. CHAMBLEE, Primary Examiner 

